There seems to be a level of misunderstanding from some folk here. Those of us who don't live in high rent areas i.e. London or the Home Counties, pay a similar rent for a social landlord as is paid by the private sector. There is hardly any subsidy. If someone is on benefits, then the taxpayer subsidises them whether they are in private or social housing.
In 2000 the government put in place a rent escalator so as to bring both rents into line. Our rent has increased by over 5% each year since (in fact nearly 7% this year).
We also pay our council tax, just like anyone else, and my wife probably pays more in income tax and nat ins than a lot of people earn.
As for repairs, the social landlord(ours is one of the largest in the country) have to abide by a charter, the same one that covers right to buy and so on. It is a choice some people make. Pay rent for a place you will never own and get all the repairs/maintenance done, or buy and do your own repairs.
Kate is entitled to expect a reasonable level of repair/maintenance and, should she choose to, can kick up a fuss about such things.
Now then, park your high horses and try to realise that not everyone is as fortunate as you think you are.
It is the same down south. My daughter also pays similar rent on a part private / housing association estate she lives on with houses that have been bought as buy to let cost about £50 more per month than she is paying.
Kate don't be so hard on yourself, we have seen from the threads on here where you have been exploring different career options and that you have being trying really hard to get a job.
Just a thought on that front, where you live in a tourist area, so there are going to be seasonal jobs available, have you got an up-to-date food and hygiene certificate and is it something you could do as a retraining course now, so you are one step ahead of many other people come the summer?
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Topic: Poor Workmanship (Read 12923 times)